Brilliant new Parrtjima program to illuminate Red Centre!
For its ninth iteration, Parrtjima – A Festival in Light returns to shine brighter than ever in Alice Springs (Mparntwe) from 12-21 April 2024. The program promises 10 nights of fantastic free entertainment under star-studded desert skies and celebrates this year’s theme, the importance of interconnectedness across First Nations culture.
Parrtjima’s famous large-scale light installations will appear more brilliant than ever and crowd favourites, the Ranges Light Show and Grounded, continue to evolve thanks to new technology. The Ranges Light Show, which sees almost 2km of the 300-million-year-old MacDonnell Ranges come to life through a spectacular light and sound show, will feature additional projection space to enhance the immersivity of the experience.
Brand new installations include Arrernte, which celebrates the Eastern, Western and Central Arrernte peoples and traditional language groups. A quirky collage of pop imagery and ancient icons, the Arrernte represents culture, landscape and elements of Country with a series of three cars as a metaphor for the collision of the West into community.
New to Parrtjima this year is a legendary large-scale wandering puppet by visual theatre wizards Erth. Named Arelhe Urrperle by the Parrtjima Festival Reference Group, she will delight people of all ages as she shares language and stories. Expert puppeteers will train local Indigenous performers how to operate the six-metre high puppet.
